Silencing the Constellation (The 5th Wave)
by nosoulneeded
Summary: Everyone has wanted to know what the too-perfect Evan Walker really thought when he first encountered Cassiopeia. In this short series, we will delve into what Evan was really like before Cassie was able to tell us what he really is like. We will also explore what he did when he wasn't in Cassie's sights. Rated T for mild language, slight fluff, and occasional violence.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

He locked in her golden-red hair into view. She examined his last victims. Fresh blood, a sure sign of danger. Waiting for a moment for her to run. Waiting for an excuse to not shoot her. Inhale... Exhale... This is what he was put here to do. He came with one job and one job only. Maybe this could be made easier. Maybe he could save her. Lost in thought, the sound of his own finger pulling the trigger brought him back to earth. _Shit_, he thought. His own breath tickling his lips as it turned to icicles before his own eyes. She dropped immediately, clutching her leg._ No, no, no, no, no,_ he whispered under his breath. Not his Cassie. How could he have hurt his Cassie? She bolted underneath the nearest car and he lost sight of his target. He lowered his gun but stayed hidden. He knew she was armed. He shot her leg. She wouldn't. Loss of blood means death. Before death comes unconsciousness. He'd rescue her once she slipped into unconsciousness.

Earning her trust was imperative. His Cassie. Cassie who searches for her brother until she fails. Cassie who lost her mother to the Fourth Horseman. Cassie who promised to protect her brother. Cassie who keeps her promises. Cassie who was now bleeding out in his arms as he trudged through the snow. He stroked her hair, so familiar in its color. God, she needs a bath. _Everyone feels better __when they're clean, right?_ He would take care of her. It was his promise to himself as Cassie promised to her brother. He kicked open the front door of his home, now empty of his family forever. He looked down as the filthy, sleeping face of his damsel in distress and whispered: _Welcome home, my Cassie. We're __safe here for now._He set her weapons down by the front door.

He'd get to those later. First priority, he had a surgery to perform. To his relief, she was still breathing. He brought her into the kitchen and set her on the counter. Carefully and gently performed the surgery that likely saved Cassiopeia's life. When he finished, he gave her a bath, generously filling it with Val's favorite lilac bubble bath so he wouldn't see more than he needed to. _I don't want to do anything she'd have to question if she wakes up. No. When she wakes up._ His first physical encounter with a girl since the Awakening and she was unconscious! Not at all pleasing to him. He took the light blue sponge and gently rinsed her wounded leg. He took a shaky breath as he ran the soapy sponge up her arms and across her collarbone. Cleaning behind her neck and ears proved to be easier than the rest of her limbs. He longed to see her eyes and her bright smile. He grabbed one of Val's head. This was the easiest to get on her without having to hurt her leg or see anything that Cassie would feel embarrassed about. He took her into Val's bed. Hopefully she would wake up soon. Hopefully he could see her eyes and smile. Hopefully his amateur surgical skills didn't kill her. Hopefully. He sat back in the chair next to Val's bed and ate a handful of Hershey Kisses as he waited for night. As he waited to get back out and do his job again. Had he failed? Would there be consequences for saving this one constellation? No. He did the right thing. He had company for the first time in weeks. He was content.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Night had fallen.

Evan took one last longing glance at his constellation and bounded off to do his job. As he passed through the worn screen door, he noticed Cassie's guns sitting by the door. He snatched up the weapons and took them to the barn. Will she trust me when she wakes up? He placed the guns under a sheet in the barn, taking mental note of their location and strode into the forest to find more survivors.

Evan knew this forest well. He grew up here, playing everyday with his best friend and, eventually, his sister. He wasn't playing anymore, though. He grasped his gun, using the shadow that had taken over his brain and conscience to sense where drones had seen survivors. He heard a stick snap. He tuned around immediately, using all of his senses and previous experiences of Silencing to tell what would happen next. Smell of metal and sulfur, twig snapped about 20 feet to the left. When he turned to face the noise, he turned into a gun pointed at his head. Before looking at whatever person it may be, he pulled the trigger. A loud crack sent through the woods, the being before him slumped to the ground and released the steady grip on the gun it had. Evan took a closer look at the person. It was a woman, mid thirties, brunette. She was beautiful one but her face had already begun wrinkling. Evan tilted his head to listen for any more signs of danger. He heard the wind caressing the trees around him, leaves rustling. He sensed no warmth but his own and the diseased birds. The silence was so deafening, he could hear the worms burrowing through the earth beneath him. That was his job though, wasn't it? Silencing. The earth would be silent and empty when he was done. He wouldn't silence his Cassie, though. She's to precious to me. She's a treasure, complete with hair of gold. He chuckled at his thought. The crickets had gone silent when he shot the woman and they had begun to sing again. It was time for him to move on. I should get back. I need to find a way to give her food and water.

Evan began his trek back when he remembered the ambulance that had stopped about two miles from his home when the first wave hit. He made his way to the ambulance, mentally making a list of things he would need to save his treasure and keep her alive if she were to remain sleeping for very long. She lost a lot of blood. It could be a few days before she wakes up. When he reached the ambulance, he popped open the door (he hadn't found a locked one yet) and searched for everything on his list. He found an IV and a large first aid kit and decided that would be enough to sustain and help heal the wound. He picked up a few extra pain killers and headed back to his home where his treasure lay sleeping.

When he returned, he set his weapon by the front door and ran up the stairs with the first aid kit and the IV. He had to set one of these up on a cow once, how different could it be? He stuck the IV in what he supposed was the right place in Cassie's arm and set it up how he had seen in hospitals on TV. He worked with the light of dawn, as it shone through the window casting his shadow on the wall and bathing the room in a sensational orange. When he finished, he stood back and examined his work. He ran a hand lightly across her head, caressing her face. He wanted someone to talk to. He sat back, once again in the chair with yet another handful of Hershey Kisses and watched the sun wash over his treasure. He watched her chest rise and fall with each breath. He longed for something to do besides wait. He lumbered down the stairs, content with how Cassie was fairing and decided to make a loaf of bread and prepare for the day.


	3. Chapter 3

She was no longer laying on her back. He hooked up the IV bag back up and scanned her slowly. her hair had been pushed back, the blankets shifted positions. Her breathing had changed and her eyes open just enough that he saw her watching him. He sat back in the rocking chair took a shaky breath and spoke;

"I know you're watching me Cassie." Her eyes opened, he saw a spectacular color he couldn't put a name to. Her lips were cracked and dry. He immediately regretted not putting chapstick on her lips. No he thought. It was too much. Too creepy. To tempting. He had been hydrating her through the IV but… was that enough? She must need food and water. Seeing as she hasn't really been able to eat or drink for the past week.

"How do you know my name?" She asked dryly.

"Drivers license." _This is awkward. She probably knows that I cleaned her up and, well.. yeah. _He kept his head lowered slightly, embarrassed for bathing his star. "I'm Evan. Evan Walker."

"Hi." she responded delicately.

_Funny, I think we're past normal greetings, as the human race is on the brink of extinction._"Hi" They talked for a while longer. They revealed each of their family's state of living and Evan pried into whether or not Cassiopeia knew that he was the one who shot her. Her voice was raspy and sounded like she was brushing off the dust with every word after not speaking for so long. She needed to drink but, when Evan offered her water, she declined. He pried further about Wright-Patterson and if her brother had been taken there. The shadow within Evan knew all there was to know about the operation at that now not abandoned air force base, and that if Sammy was indeed there, getting him out would take extensive planning and mischief.

His star was sassy, but it relieved him to know she had enough strength to have an attitude. When Cassie began to look weak again, Evan remembered she hadn't had any actual nourishment for over a week, so he went to the kitchen and brought back a bowl of warm, venison broth. The smell reminded him of the times his mom brought the same dish to him when he was sick. The memory stirred the shadow inside him but he shook it away. The last time he climbed the stairs with venison broth was when the plague hit his sister. _I wasn't able to save her, but I will save Cassie. I have to._ He opened the door to the room and set the bowl on the nightstand next to the bed. After helping her adjust, he handed her the bowl and saw the look of suspicion on her face as she took a sip of the she finished drinking down the broth, she looked sleepy again. Evan didn't want to see the magnificent eyes of his lovely star close ever again, but he knew she needed her rest to get better.

As he got up to take the dish back to the kitchen, a worried look crept up Cassie's face. "Did you have to-"

_Oh, crap. Too much pain medication. "_No! No, it just grazed some muscle tissue. It'll take some time to recover but I stitched it up and cleaned it before it could get infected."

"Oh." Her eyes drooped as she sighed with relief. Evan continued out the door, this time without interruption. As he washed the bowl, he wondered what he could do to make her more comfortable there. _Mom always said the way to a girl's heart is chocolate. I think there's still some chocolate stashed in mom's closet. _Evan walked quietly up the stairs to his parent's room. The room was dusty. Evan hadn't been in there since he lost his sister. He ran a hand along the dresser to pick up some of the dust and wiped his hand on his pants. When he reached the closet, he felt sneaky and guilty; as if he were going for an early peek at Christmas presents. He pulled the door open and shifted some jackets to the side and sure enough, four bags of Hershey Kisses were sitting on a shelf. He grabbed all four and went to the kitchen to store them in the pantry. After putting them away, He opened the first bag and grabbed a handful. He tiptoed back into Cassie's room and placed a single Kiss on her nightstand. He unhooked the IV and decided to let Cassie rest until she awoke again. In the meantime, he had some cleaning to do in his parents' room.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Author's note: I'll post at least once a month, sorry for the inconvenience but, I have school and applications for college and scholarships and work. Just responsibilities in general. I promise I will be finished with The 5th Wave before the movie is released. Hopefully before The Infinite Sea becomes too popular so I can write fics based off of that book and also the last book of the trilogy. I only wish to uncover what isn't revealed in the books. Thank you all so much for reading these! It makes me so happy to know my work isn't going unnoticed. If you've seen my copy of The 5th Wave, you'll only see about 700 sticky notes covering it. Thanks again! Enjoy this chapter, it's a long one!. More to come soon._**

As Evan opened his parents' closet, he recalled the times he'd found Val dressed up in their mom's clothes or the times he'd try to dress up like his dad to try to be like him. The many times his dad taught him to tie a tie and how to keep your suits away from your farm clothes.. Evan reached up and pulled a few boxes down, running his fingers lightly along the shelf to measure how much dust had collected. The first box was a hatbox, which contained pictures of his parents, souvenirs from their various trips like seashells and postcards from the west coast, France, and college. The second box, this one a shoebox, contained various letters and notes between his mom and dad from when they first started dating. At the top of the box laid a single dried pink rose from their wedding day. _Mom was always sentimental_, Evan recalled. He set the box aside, eyes lingering on the rose, and pulled the third box to him. This box was the largest and heaviest, his biceps strain at the sleeves from the weight. He opened the box slowly, glancing out the window to see the sun's position. "I have time." Evan whispered to himself. This box was the most important to him. It contained his life before the waves, every memory of Val. Five scrapbooks laid neatly stacked in the box, all in order from when he was born to almost a month before the first wave hit. He pulled the most recent from the bottom and flipped it open. These pictures helped him feel more human, like they made the shadow in his mind pull back with remorse. The shadow was always there, just less evident in these pictures. Those were more simple times. He looked at pictures of him and Lauren on their first date, his school pictures, Val's birthday party, a family photo, and a Christmas card: "Season's Greetings from the Walker Family!" "Val, Mom, Dad, Lauren.. I miss you all so much. I promise I won't let this one die." He prayed silently "For you, I'll keep her alive. She's all I have left and For you guys, all I cared about, I will keep living to keep her living. I won't be joining you guys anytime soon, I'm sorry." He placed the scrapbook back in the box and lifted it back onto the shelf, followed by the shoebox and the hatbox.

He felt the shadow returning, reminding him what time it was. He closed the closet door, sighed, pulled the blankets and sheets tighter on the bed, for a neater look and left the room. As he pulled the door shut, a chill ran down his spine and he felt his eyes moisten and warm. He knew that to save Sammy, they'd have to leave very soon. He knew that was one of the last times he would be closing that door. With that, he walked down to the barn, grabbed his sniper and went into the woods to do what he did when the shadow in his mind was strongest. The shadow led him a few miles away from the farm to a tent in the woods, oddly like the way he had found Cassie. He approached the site, keeping his senses sharpened and eyes never lingering in one place for too long. The camp site was quiet, a low fire burned before the entrance of the tent. Her heard a low snore coming from the tent and mismatched breathing. The wind rustled leaved and needles in the trees above him. The shadow told him there were three souls on this site. Three targets. He walked ten yards back, gathering stones and sticks as he went. Once he got his weapon set up, he broke the thickest sticks, sending a loud crack through the forest. He heard the targets stir, hush each other, and the tent unzipped as a gun clicked out of safety. He threw a rock across the site, hitting a tree, snapping Target One's attention to a different direction. "Stay here," Target One whispered gruffly to targets Two and Three.

Before Target One had time to stand up straight, Evan pulled the trigger, releasing a loud _CRACK_ into the air, breaking the quiet. Target One crumpled sideways to the ground, the impact of the bullet overwhelming to his body's center of gravity. Evan's vision clouded and mind left him. The scene played out as if he were watching it on a screen. He flipped his body over the log he was crouching behind and he rushed forward, ripping the tent flaps open. He pulled a knife from a sheath attached to the back of his pants and threw the knife into Target Two's forehead as she screamed for her partner's and her own peril. The shadow took the blade from her forehead, spun around and held the knife in offense toward Target Three. Evan stopped. Like ripping the screen in front of him, he pushed the shadow back and took control. Target Three was a child. A small boy about Sammy's age with light brown hair and blue eyes shining with shock, fear, and grief. The shadow whispered to Evan, encouraging "It's our job. Just get it over with." Evan drew a breath and thrust the knife into the boy's head, his own heart breaking with realization. Evan drew the knife from the falling boy's head and wiped it on the grass before returning it to its sheath. He had to clean up the scene, make it look abandoned. His first time piercing the screen between him and the shadow, and it made him fear for his Cassiopeia more than ever. He crouched outside the tent, regaining his strength and searched for any emotion the shadow held. The shadow was quiet though. Almost remorseful for the evil acts they had just part took in. The shadow had changed. The shadow had seen light and now shared Evan's only wish;

to protect Cassie Sullivan.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Picking up at page 162 of the American hardcover edition, if you're intent on following this with the book.**

It was midnight now, and Evan Walker had finally made the shadow see that what the Others were doing was terrible. Humans have emotions. Yes, the emotions get in the way but they also built what the Others had just orchestrated to destroy. Evan stood up, realizing now how out of breath he was. He looked around, evaluating what work there was left to be done and glanced at the sky to see how close to dawn it was. He was alone in the dark, soaking in the work that he was chosen for; Silencing. He moved the bodies the way he had the same day he had shot Cassie: with the three in a line, hands behind their head. The organization comforted the shadow in his head, disorder made the shadow fidget and squirm. Evan entered the tent, careful not to touch the blood that was splattered on the walls of the tent. He found a duffel bag, two back packs, three sleeping bags, and a plastic box. He first emptied the backpacks, the owners of which made obvious based on the stuff inside. The first contained comic books and legos, belonging to Target Three. The second backpack, more full, contained a scrapbook that was slightly water damaged and toiletries a middle aged woman would need, therefore belonging to Target 2, leaving the plastic box and duffel bag. The plastic box looked sad and nearly empty. It contained a few cans of spam, cans of beef gravy, and a can of canned bread. Evan laughed to himself when he saw the canned bread, because of the sheer ridiculousness of canning bread. The duffel bag contained two guns: a large gun, ideal for longer distances with a scope at the top, and a pistol. Both were out of ammunition. Also in the bag sat a large hunting knife and a family photo. After a few moments of hesitation, Evan examined the photo._ The family used to have two more. Must've been lost with the Horseman. _With a sigh of exasperation, Evan zipped up the duffel and hauled it out of the tent. As he straightened himself with the duffel bag over his shoulder, he checked the sky for a hint of how much time he had left. The sun would be rising again soon, he had to get back. _There's a cattle farm not too far from here.. Yeah, I can make it. _

On his way back, he stopped by Lauren's house. _At least she isn't here now to see how bad everything is. _He walked up the path to her front door, the first time since he had run to her house hoping he hadn't lost her. He rested his hand on the bronze doorknob of the front door, the familiar cool feeling in his hand. He waited… He hesitated….. He sighed. Pulling away from the house where his heart had expanded, thrived, and crumbled. The sky was turning pink and Evan had to get home. Two miles from Lauren's house resided a cattle ranch. The rancher was smart enough to let the cattle roam before the Horseman took him. Evan had been picking off of the herd since he heard the rancher had passed. The virus had been round long enough for him to see that it did not carry through animals besides birds. He found the wagon he hid in the brush near the fence and killed one of the cattle. He heaved the cow onto the wagon and carted it to the barn just outside his home. He had done this many times before, never failing to make it back home. When he returned home, he went through the process to best prepare and preserve the meat. When he had it all packaged, the sun was up, _about 8am, _he guessed. He headed inside to greet his constellation and check on her bandages. By lunch, Evan was feeling shadow free and generous. He even made Cassie a hamburger with some of the meat he had gathered.

After she had eaten, he changed the dressing on her leg. The wound was healing, losing whatever infection it may or may not have had but it still looked terrible. The guilt of shooting her leg creeped up his neck. "I want to wash and comb my hair." she said to him. He was a bit shocked. He hadn't thought of the possibility of her doing something by herself. Something so human. He stood there thinking about how human the act was and why would she want to do that when she can't even walk on her own yet? Her clear confident voice broke him out of his thoughts, "If you won't help me I'm going to smash the kerosene lamp over your head." Her intentions were clear, she wanted nothing more than to just take a bath and feel human again. Evan set up the claw-foot tub so she wouldn't have to lay down. He went back to her room and carried his constellation, careful not to put unnecessary pressure on her leg. He plopped her down and went to the kitchen to get a metal tub and fill it with steaming water. The tub wasn't too heavy, but it did cause his biceps to strain a bit. He began to wash her hair, pouring warm water that smelled faintly of rose petals. When he tried to work in shampoo, she waved away his hands and began to do it herself. I watch her scrub her hair and He noticed the water course up her body, tightening the nightgown, fitting it to her body. His eyes lingered, the shadow far from his mind. He cleared his throat, disrupting any thoughts that could occur. He turned his head away. Next thing he knows, he standing outside the bathroom door. "Are you standing out there?" He hears from the bathroom. "Yes" he responds. "_Why_ are you standing out there?" _think, think, think! _"I'm waiting to rinse your hair." _good. _"This is going to take a while" He stared at the door and the photos hanging in the hallway. "That's okay." She said something else filled with sass but he was lost in a picture of his family at a picnic before everything hit the fan. "Are you still there?" He shifted his weight. "Yes" After ten minutes she finally let him in. He was able to rinse her hair while they talked about why he stayed in his house once the waves began. They talked about Silencers and Val and Lauren. Evan had not felt such trust in someone since Val died. Still, he couldn't tell her about his shadow or about who really shot her or even why he needs help feeling human. But having someone like this around made the invasion more bare able, no matter how much he was still against it. The human Evan still rang over shadow Evan, especially with someone like Cassie to remind him that being human is supposed to be easy because it's what we are. Cassie just made it easier for him. He tried to do the same for her.


	6. Chapter 6

Night again. Silencing. _CRACK—_a gunshot sprang into the air, the bullet whizzing past his head. Evan looked through the scope of his sniper rifle, letting the shadow's instincts wash over him. The edges of his vision blurred, focusing his senses on the bullet sinking through the skull of the survivor. His movements were fluid, unlike the broad-shouldered farm boy that was and more like the accidental soldier he is. His mission this time was four miles from the farmhouse. His first target was down, he looked at the sky to judge how much time he had left. His constellation was back there. _NO. Focus. Three more to go. _The shadow smacked his mind back into place. He smoothly repositioned himself and sent another _CRACK _into the night. His mind wandered back to Cassie as he swung back around to hit his third target. He was conscious now of what he was doing, unlike any other time he had been sent out. He felt the twilight air prickling at his skin, he felt the urge to gasp at the cold, he felt the urge to run away from the murders of the night. _This isn't right. _**_But it is, you know it is, you've done it a million times, Evan. We've done it a million times._** The shadow was separating itself from Evan for the first time since the awakening. Evan looked through his scope and continued the battle within and around himself. Through his scope he saw a pale, determined face steady and waiting for her attacker to take a shot at her. Her light brown hair blew into the wind, Evan felt unstable. _She's just as strong as Cassiopeia. Just as old as Cassiopeia. _**_No._** _CRACK_

Evan dropped the gun, gasping at what he had done. **_We can't save them all. This one's special. She's going to change everything. We need to save the others from what that jackass leader has planned._**_ I…. _Evan looked down at his hands. He was in control for the first time. _What can I do? _He asked the shadow. **_What I've been training you to do. Save them to save Cassiopeia. _** Evan picked up the gun and returned to he mission at hand. He let the shadow was over him again, filling him with warmth and giving up any and all sense of hesitation. They worked together as the team they were created to be, moving the bodies into a row and checking them for anything that could increase Cassiopeia's chance of survival and Evan's chance of survival for Cassie. When their work was done, Evan and his shadow disappeared into the night, leaving the ex-survivors to the night and its mysteries.

Evan returned to the farmhouse once again as the sky turned a fiery pink, reminding him of whom he was coming home to. He felt a slight chill, meaning the shadow was resting at the edge of his mind. She was getting more mobile and more feisty which only made Evan want to keep her alive more. She was willing to fight to save herself and the human race… No, she was willing to save her brother.

Outside her door, he waited with anticipation for her to ask if he saws standing out here again. He waited to hear the voice that reminded him what it was to be human and sighed. "I know you're there" she called out like she had done so many times before. Only this time, she didn't sound as annoyed. More relieved that he was there, maybe?


	7. Chapter 7

To wake up with a face-full of hair sounds a lot more unpleasant than waking up with a heart full of hope. When Evan woke up to both, he smiled to himself, appreciating the shadow in his mind letting him rest, even if it was only for an hour. But the shadow was restless, eager to hunt and work and prepare the earth. Evan felt that his constellation was keeping him grounded and attached to his human mind and his shadow allowed it. humanity is complex yet simple and controlled yet freeing. To have a body to complete a spirit was refreshing and so surreal to the shadow. Evan and his Other worked in tandem, learning that to fight each other made existing harder for them both. Evan slid out of Val's twin bed and proceeded to prepare for the day. He and Cassie had to leave soon. He recalled his own love for Val and had started to feel his own sense of protection over Sam.

As Evan walked to the door, Cassie murmured in her sleep and shook as she recognized the cold absence of Evan's body next to hers. "Sammy misses you" she had said. Her face scrunched up slightly and a small stream of tears began to run from her eyes. She turned over and breathed a big sleepy sigh. Evan wanted to hold her and remind her that everything would be okay. He instead turned and left the room, knowing she would be up soon anyways.

Evan made french toast for breakfast, utilizing eggs from chickens outside. He thought about Cassie's healing process and whether she was healing slower than usual or if time was just dragging on and blurring so it seemed she had always been injured. With her life on evan's shoulders and Sammy's on hers, the tension in the house was rigid, taking a toll on Cassie's ability to recover. Evan decided to take the day to suppress the shadow from "saving" anyone except for Cassie. Living on a farm had its benefits, with lots of things to do and being able to have enough strength to carry a teenage girl around all day.

"Good morning, Sleepyhead. I brought breakfast." Cassie rolled over to face Evan and rubbed the sleep from her eyes unknowing of the sadness that hung over her dreams.

"Hey.. When did you wake up? Did you even sleep? And I know I keep questioning the food but how the _hell_ did you make this?" Evan just smiled and brought the tray over to her. He sat on the edge of the bed stroking her unharmed leg and staring at his hands as Cassie ate. "What's wrong?"

"I figured you could use a day out." Evan's ears turned red," So, Cassiopeia Marie Sullivan, would you do me the honor of joining me on a date this afternoon?"

Cassie stumbled over balancing her words, chewing, and choking at the same time. "Uh- Yeah, yeah that'd be great, I'd love to, that sounds great. Absolutely great." Her eyes widened and her pulse quickened. "How much time do I have?" Evan's grin was stretched across his face that he could feel his skin being stretched.

"A few hours- You can finish your breakfast I wasn't sure what you'd say so I still need to set up everything but you're going to love it and I'm so glad you said yes and I'll come back in a bit!" Evan bolted out of the room with all of his ideas banging around in his head. Nothing could come in the way of tonight being perfect.

_Nothing._


	8. Chapter 8

The county fair hadn't been around for a few months before the first wave, so Evan had no chance of finding an abandoned Ferris wheel to hook up to a generator or some sort of series of carnival game booths where she could win moldy stuffed animals or stale treats. Asking Cassie out was a spur-of-the-moment sort of deal. _**Was I supposed to have a plan when I asked? Also, why is it the guy always has to initiate the date?**_ Evan began questioning his decision and began doubting his chances of succeeding at this chance to win over his Mayfly. He wanted nothing more than to show up the prick that she'd written about in her journal. Though she'd never actually been out with him, he still wanted to do better than she could've ever imagined with him. The shadow was quiet yet lurking, and true to form, still following him everywhere.

Evan bounded outside, despite his broad build, he moved quickly and with a sense of "Christmas Morning"-esque excitement. He followed his gut this time, not his shadow, to Lauren's. He recalled the bittersweet memories of their springtime picnics together and planned to rush to the supplies that were left over, until-

**HELP**

The tragic shift in the silence broke through the trees. Evan held his gun at attention and shook his head to clear the shadow that had also been alerted. Frozen in place, he felt the whispering wind sweep through the trees. His hairs stood on end as he scanned the forest around him. Evan moved forward towards Lauren's house to see if he'd come across the source of the sound before reaching the safety of the house. A scream that made his heart crack and his stomach drop passed through his ears- he was getting close_. it's not an other. we need to eliminate it. __**Her. It's a girl, we need to eliminate HER. **__fine. just don't screw this one up. _**_We've got this._**Evan pushed forward toward the noise, allowing the shadow to take control of the situation. A young woman, college aged and petite. "Oh thank God. I knew it was a long shot that anyone would hear me but you did and you're here and please please help me" She was backed against a tall river birch with an alligator hissing at her. "My gun is in my tent and I'm from the north, I don't know how to deal with these sorts of animals." Her voice quivered and was hushed with fear, but raised so Evan could hear- but Evan wasn't listening.

The shadow was absorbing the words, filling with warmth at the chance to satiate the need to take a life. Evan's arms raised the gun as the shadow's eyes focused through the scope. Swiftly, the gun fired two shots, one into the soft side of the gator's belly, and the other between the eyes of the woman. Then, crashing through the trees came a middle aged man. It was evident he once had a beer belly and hadn't been able to eat properly or shave since the second wave hit. "I'm here! Are you okay? I heard gunshots! Miss, I-" the man sized up Evan, "you don't look like a young woman, though you sound like one." Evan adjusted his grip. "I'm not looking for trouble, kid. I really did come to help." The man stepped forward with his dirty hands in the air- "What happened here?" The man surveyed the scene as Evan started toward him and nimbly switched from his gun to his hunting knife that was stowed at his side. The man lifted his eyes full of panic as he registered what really was happening and turned to get away, but Evan was too fast. He sliced the backs of the man's knees and pushed the man to the ground. "You're one of them! You're not a creature of God's making."

"_I'm not a creature of anyone's making. _**Shut up now and I'll let you go**_._" The shadow spoke for Evan with a fierceness that no human could ever achieve.

"I can't go anywhere anyways." The man began to weep. "I know now that I'm about to meet my God and see my family again. You could save yourself, you know. I can tell you how to get rid of the evil voice inside your head. You have a good soul, I can see it, let me save you."

Evan began to feel for the first time that there was something wrong with him. The pit of his stomach twisted more and his eyes began to water. "It is you who needs to be saved, not me. I will still be here when the last of you are gone. I will be here to eradicate the last of my own kind and promote peace between the best of both of our races. How many of your kind can succeed at that? I know more about the true beginning and end of our worlds and the end lies in the hands of me. Not you and your faith. Only have faith in two things, my dear. You have a beginning, a middle, and an end. And we've approached your finale." Evan held the knife above the man's heart and whispered, "give my regards to your God." and plunged the hunting knife into the heart of the man. The man's eyes turned from fearful, to pained, and finally to peace as life left his body.

Evan stood up and checked his body for any blood spots or scratches that would be suspicious to Cassie. He sensed his body needing to rest gave up on the picnic basket idea for the day. He headed back home and felt an aura of caution as he approached. _**Cassie…**_


End file.
